Can heading machine



A. J. FISHER GAN yHEADING MACHINE Filed Jan. 31. '1935 s sheets-shew 1Jan. 4, 1938.

rneys.

Jan.4,1938. AQJ. HSHEB v 2,104,224'

om HEADING MACHINE Filed Jan. s1, 1955 s sheets-sheet 2 I L l 5: n E Jijl Mg l |y Il jg '336. m:

nder-L15 dam ffl? vlJan. 4, 1938. Y A J, F|5HER I 2,104,224 I CANHEADING MACHINE Filed Jan. s1; 1935 s sheets-sheet s Patented Jan. 4,1938 UNITED STATES CAN HEADING MACHINE Adam J. Fisher, Palisades Park,N. J., assgnor` to International Patents Development Company,Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application January 31,1935, Serial No. 4.299

7 Claims.

This invention relates to can heading machines, and a primary object ofthe invention is to provide improvements for insuring accuracy in theapplication of the flanged heads of the cans to the can bodies.

A further specific object of the invention is to provide an improved canheading machine which makes it practicable to apply to can bodies, headmembers having anges which stand substantially at right angles to thedisc portions of the heads instead of having the flanges oblique or aredas has been customary. With right angle anges the iit of the heads onthe can body is closer and more secure, less solder is required andleaking joints are practically eliminated.

With these objects in View, the machine, according .to the presentinvention, is provided with means for producing suction on the can headswhich holds them against the movable members by which the heads arebrought to and forced upon the ends of the can bodies.

The invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment in theaccompanying drawings, wherin: l

g5 Fig. 1 is a longitudinal, vertical sectional view through the headingmachine, improved in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine.

Fig. 3, a vertical, sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4--4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the right hand can head and body supportingmember shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6, a vertical, sectional view on line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

Fig. '7, a similar View on line 1-1 of Fig. 1, looking in the oppositedirection.

Fig. 8, a sectional view on line 8-8 of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 9 is a sectional view on line 9-9 of Fig. 6. The can headingmachine to which, for the purpose of illustration, the improvement ofthe present invention has been shown as applied, in the drawings, is amachine of known type. Gen- 45 erally speaking, it consists of ahorizontal rotating shaft to which is iixed a structure for supporting,in circular arrangement, a plurality of can bodies, indicated in thedrawings by the letter A, and can heads B, B' which are to be ap- 50plied to the bodies; this structure comprising a l plurality of pairs ofsupporting or heading members, the members of each pair being movabletoward each other, one pair operating after another toforce the flangecan heads upon the ends of the body being then moved away from eachother to release the cans one after another for discharge from themachine. As this much of the'machine is in common use, in order tosimplify the drawings, certain parts of the apparatus, such as the meansfor feeding the can elements to the machine and the means for holdingthem in the machine have been omitted from the drawings.

1 Referring now to the drawings, I Il designates the main shaft of themachine which is mounted in bearings II, I I on the uprights I2, I2; isprovided with collars I3, I3 to prevent end movement of the shaft; andis rotated by suitable gearing, one gear I4 of which is shown in Figs. 1and 2.

'I'he kstructure for movably supporting and assembling the can elementscomprises a plurality of pairs of heading members I5, the drawingsshowing ve such pairs (Fig. 3). The number might be larger or smaller.Each of said members has attached thereto, by set screws I6 (Fig. 3), apair of push rods I1', I'l which extend slidably through openings in theguide collars I8, I8, I9, I9 rigidly secured to the-shaft I0. 'I'he rodsof each pair are secured to a cross-head 20 and the several crossheadsare provided with rollers 2l. The rollers 2I extend into box cams 22,22, the ve rollers on one side of the machine into one cam and five onthe other side into the other cam; the cams being carried on verticalsupports 23. The cams 22, 22 are so formed that as shaft IIl revolves(in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 1) the heading members I5 of theseveral pairs of heading members are moved toward each other,successively, to force the heads on the can bodies.

The can bodies and heads are fed into the machine and are held in placeby known means (not shown). The heads instead of being provided vvithflared anges, a construction required in some capping machines, areformed with flanges b which are substantially at right angles to thedisc portions of the heads. When the heads have been forced upon thebodies, the asof known construction. Some difculty, however, has beenexperienced in bringing the can heads into accurate engagement with thebodies.

The can heads are flanged and are intended to make a close fit with thebodies. It sometimes happens that a slight tilting of the head or otherinaccuracy in the position of the can head on the heading member willresult in the failure of the head to be driven properly on the body withpossible crushing of the can elements.

To obviate this evil the present invention provides means for holdingthe can head against the plate portion 2 4 of the supporting member I5during the movement of the heading members toward the can body. To thisend, each of the members I5 is formed with a duct, 28. opening throughthe face of said member at 29 and terminating at the other end' in anipple 30 for a flexible hose 3| which is connected to a pipe 32 (Figs.1 and 2) that leads to a duct 33 in a valve element 34 secured to acollar 35 fixed to shaft I0 (Figs. 6 to 9). It will be understood thateach of the five can heading members I5 on each side of the machine isthus connected to the rotating valve element 34, there being two valves,one at each end of the shaft I0 (Figs. 1 and 2). Bearing against theouter face 36 of the rotating valve element 34 is a non-rotating valveelement 31 of arcuate shape (Fig. 7) to which is secured a guide stud 38extending through an opening 39 in a plate 40 (Figs. 8 and 9) secured tothe upstanding iiange 4I of an angle bar 42 which is fastened to a seatmember 43 on the bearing Il for the shaft i0. A spring 44 is interposedbetween the non-rotating valve element 3l and plate 40 which keeps thevalveelements in contact with each other. The valve element 3l is formedwith a duct 45 to which is screwed an e1- bow-shaped nipple 48 (Fig. 8)for a hose M which latter is connected to a vacuum pump or other sourceof low pressure. The inner face of valve element 3l is provided with anarcuate groove d3, forming a part of the duct 45, with which groove thefive ducts 33 in the valve element 3d are adapted to register as theshaft l@ rotates. These ducts are so positioned and the groove t8 ofsuch length that, in the case of each of the nve heading devices (eachpair of members i5) the suction is applied to the outer face of the headas soon as the head has been put in place in member i5, and this suctionis maintained during the operative or inward movement of the headingmembers, the duct 33 passing over the end of the extension groove ttl ofduct Q5 at the completion of the heading operation. If desirable formechanical reasons there might be two ducts d5, one'closer to the axisthan the other, and alternate ducts arranged-to come into register with`the ducts d5 respectively. The ends of ducts 33 after leaving groove @dpass over a vacuum releasing groove or port d@ (Fig. 7), which breaksthe vacuum against the can head, in each case, before the heading memberbegins its outward movement. Preferably the valve member 3l is formedwith pocket k5@ for absorbent material which receives oil through oilopening 5I. For the purpose of adjustment, the plete. 40 is secured tothe angle bar 42 by bolts 5i which extend through arcuate slots 53 inthe flange 4I of the angle bar.

The can head, it will be observed, is held at the bottom (referring tothe position of the head when rst fed into the machine) by being seatedin groove 26 (Fig. 5). The vacuum is applied, preferably, at theopposite edge of the head, as shown in Fig. 4, so that the head isaccurately positioned on the heading member and is held in this positionduring the heading operation.

It is realized that this invention could be made applicable to canheading machines of different construction from that shown; and theinvention is to cover all embodiments and modifications of the inventionwithin the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a can heading machine, the combination of a rotating shaft; cansupporting means on the shaft and rotatable therewith comprising asupporting abutment member for one end portion of the can body and aheading member for supporting the other end of the can body and theheadto be applied thereon, there being a vacuum duct opening through aportion of the heading member in close relation to the can headsupported thereon; a valve element having a, fixed position on saidshaft and rotatable therewith'and formed with a vacuum duct; a tubularconnection between said last named duct and the vacuum duct in theheading `member; a non-rotating valve element arranged against therotating valve element and having an elongated vacuum duct with whichthe duct in the rotating valve element registers during a predeterminedrotational movement of said shaft; and means for moving the headingmember lengthwise of said shaft, during the registry of said vacuumducts of said valve members, to force the can head upon the can bod 2.yIn a. can heading machine, the combination of a rotating shaft; cansupporting means on the shaft and rotatable therewith comprising asupporting and abutment member for one end portion of the can body and aheading member for supporting the other end of the can body and the headto be applied thereon and movable lengthwise of the shaft, during apartial rotation thereof, to force the head upon the can body,

there being a vacuum duct opening through a to the can head supportedthereon; a valve element having a hxed position on said shaft androtatable therewith and formed with a vacuum duct; a tubular connectionbetween said last named duct and the vacuum duct in the heading member;a non-rotating valve element arranged against the rotating valve elementand having an elongated vacuum duct with which the said duct in therotating valve element registers during a predetermined rotationalmovement of said shaft and formed also with a vacuum releasing port overwhich the end of the duct in the rotatable valve element passes afterpassing said elongated duct.

3. In a can heading machine the combination of a rotating shaft; cansupporting means on the shaft and rotatable therewith comprising asupporting and abutment member for one end portion of the can body anda. heading member for supporting the other`end of the can body and thehead to be applied thereon, there being a vacuum duct opening through aportion of the heading member in close relation to the head supportedthereon; a valve element having a fixed ing a partial rotation thereof;and means for moving said heading member lengthwise of said shaft,during the registering of the vacuum ducts oi said valve members, toforce the can head upon the can body.

4. In a can heading machine, revoluble can supporting means comprising a-supporting and abutment member for one end portion of a can body and aheading member for supporting the other end of the can body and the canhead to be applied thereon, there being a groove in the heading memberto receive the lower edge portion of the can head and there being also avacuum line opening through a face of the heading` member against 4whichface the can head is adapted to bear, and means interposed in the vacuumline for making and breaking vacuum connections in that portion of theline which opens through said face of the heading member so as to hold acan head against and subsequently release it from said f face of theheading member; said means comprising a valve member revoluble in timedrelation with the heading member and having a port therein which isopen'to the atmosphere during a partial rotation of the valve member,and a fixed valve member having a vacuum port therein adapted tocommunicate with the port in the revoluble valve member during anotherportion of said rotational movement.

5. In a can heading machine, the combination of an element forsupporting one endportionof a can and providing an abutment therefor,unitary means for supporting the other end of the can `body and a canhead therefor, said unitary means comprising a member movable relativeto the abutment element to move the can head upon the body, and meansfor applying suction force to the can head to hold it against saidunitary member during the movement of said head onto the can body.

6. In a can heading machine, the combination of means for supporting theopposite ends of a can. body and head members to be applied theretocomprising members movable toward each other to move the head membersinto assembled relation on the body, and means comprising suction lines'opening through the can supporting members for holding said head membersof the can against said supporting means during the said movement of thesupporting members toward each other, whereby the can heads are heldagainst the supporting members during the application ci saidheads tothe can body.

'1.,In a can heading machine, the combination 'of means for supportingthe can body in a horibody.

ADAM J. FISHER.

